Sausage, Roasted Red Pepper and Gouda Macaroni and Cheese {Support for a Special Family}

The ultimate comfort food, this Sausage, Roasted Red Pepper and Gouda Macaroni and Cheese is a flavorful, creamy macaroni and cheese that is ready in 30 minutes. Forget about the boxed stuff and make this homemade version.

Sausage, Roasted Red Pepper and Gouda Macaroni and Cheese

Today I am sharing my ultimate comfort food. Go ahead and take a look at that picture above. Yup, that creamy, cheesy bowl of goodness.

Me and 1,000,000 other people, right? Well yes. This is my favorite comfort food and it’s not just because I have a Wisconsin born, cheese loving husband influencing my comfort food decisions.

I love a good, creamy macaroni and cheese and I especially love adding extra ingredients in to change it up. Sausage, Roasted Red Pepper and Gouda Macaroni and Cheese is creamy, a bit sweet from the roasted red peppers and is packed with cheesy flavor from the gouda, parmesan and sharp cheddar cheese. You might think that macaroni and cheese is more of a winter food but I beg to differ. This is good in the spring on those rainy days when you just need a little warm comfort food. Or how about yesterday when it snowed in Cleveland!! 🙁

If I am having a bad day, or just need something comforting to eat this Sausage, Roasted Red Pepper and Gouda Macaroni and Cheese is my go to meal. But today’s Sausage, Roasted Red Pepper and Gouda Macaroni and Cheese is about more than my favorite comfort food. It is a dish that I would bring my friend Ashley, of Center Cut Cook, if I still lived in Chicago. Ashley has been going through some very challenging times and a meal like this would be the perfect thing to share with her. If you don’t know Ashley’s story here is a little background from their fundraising page…

Ryan and Ashley were high school sweethearts and ended up getting married. Ryan and Ashley found out they were expecting their first child, only to find out one week later that Ryan, a healthy 29 year old, has Stage 4 Colon Cancer.

I was lucky enough to meet Ashley at a food blogging conference in Chicago when she was pregnant with Miles. The minute I met Ashley I knew she was a good one. She was so positive, friendly and warm. I enjoyed my time getting to know her and learned of her story after talking more with her. In the year that followed that conference I followed Ashley’s journey through her Facebook page. What I can say from knowing Ashley is that she is one of the strongest, most positive women I know, despite some seriously challenging things going on in her life.

When Ashley had Miles, he is what helped Ryan fight on. Their miracle baby is what has kept them going. Miles was born healthy and happy and brought a whole new joy to his parents’ lives. When Miles was eight weeks old, Ashley was changing his diaper when she saw him doing something odd and thought it was a seizure. They whisked him off to the hospital where blood work confirmed that Miles, at two months old, was in kidney failure. The seizure was a result of the kidney failure.

After three different hospitals and numerous tests, it was confirmed that Miles has a rare disease called Primary Hyperoxaluria (type 1) and will need a life-saving liver and kidney transplant.

Their days are busy keeping up with bi-weekly chemotherapy for Ryan and around the clock care of Miles who needs hemodialysis four days per week and peritoneal dialysis daily along with too many medications to count.

Her story touches my life daily when I see her positive updates, hear her story and think about the challenges she is enduring. It reminds me to cherish every moment in this life and be thankful for those that you love.

I hope through today’s post I can inspire a few people to reach out to Ashley and send her positive thoughts. I also am helping to fundraise for Ashley and her family. As you can imagine the medical bills associated with a husband that has cancer and a baby that has an illness are difficult.

I am hoping you will think about donating to Ashley and her family today to help her out. You can head to her fundraising page here to donate. Any amount will help take the financial burden away so that Ashley can focus on what is most important, the road to recovery for both her husband and sweet boy Miles.

I also hope that today’s post encourages people to think about those around them that might be going through a difficult time. Maybe it is a new Mom, an illness in the family or a financial hardship. Cooking a meal may seem like a small gesture but it can mean the world to someone who feels alone, or is going through something tough.

To make a donation, please visit their Fundraising Page HERE. You can also follow their journey on Facebook by liking the Team Ryan Facebook Page.

Sausage, Roasted Red Pepper and Gouda Macaroni and Cheese

Description

Sausage, Roasted Red Pepper and Gouda Macaroni and Cheese is a flavorful, creamy macaroni and cheese that is ready in 30 minutes. Forget about the boxed stuff and make this homemade version for your family or bring it to a new Mom or friend in need.

Scale

Ingredients

16oz. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

2 Tablespoon olive oil

3 turkey sausage links, casing removed, crumbled

3 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup milk, skim {or milk of your choice}

2 cups gouda cheese, shredded

2 cups parmesan cheese, freshly grated

2 cups shard cheddar cheese, shredded

12 oz. roasted red peppers, liquid drained and chopped

6oz fresh spinach, washed

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional garnish:

Panko breadcrumbs

Crispy onion straws

Crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

Prepare the elbow macaroni according to package directions. Set aside.

In a large skillet heat the 2 Tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the turkey sausage and cook until browned. Set aside in a bowl.

In the same large skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the skim milk and a dash of salt and pepper and bring to a boil whisking the while it cooks. Add in the cheese and continue to whisk until the mixture becomes thick and creamy.

Add the roasted red peppers, sausage and the spinach to the cheese mixture and stir until the spinach is wilted.

Add the pasta and stir until everything is combined. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Remove from heat and serve in a large serving dish with optional garnishes: crispy onion straws or panko breadcrumbs.

Notes

You could use smoked gouda instead of regular gouda if you want.[br]You can eliminate the turkey sausage to make this vegetarian. In its place add more spinach or roasted red peppers or leave it as is.

This is a beautiful, creamy dish Julia, great recipe. I was grateful to learn more about Ashley at Center Cut Pork and her family, thank you. I can’t imagine facing two simultaneous medical crises. We’ve had medical crises in our family through the years. One of my kids had emergency brain surgery after a severe head injury, and my youngest son has Down syndrome with medical complications that go with that. Ashley and family will definitely be in my thoughts and prayers.

I am SO with you on the mac n cheese! ALL YEAR ROUND. This is gorgeous!!! Thank you sososo much for being a part of this effort. Your recipe is beautiful and I hope it brings tons of attention to the Wagner family and our goal!

Meet Julia

I'm Julia. Wife, mom to three growing boys, lover of food. Here you will find quick & easy weeknight meal ideas, kid-friendly recipes and a few sweet treats. My roots are from the Mediterranean and many of my recipes incorporate those flavors!

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I'm Julia. Wife, mom to three growing boys, lover of food. Here you will find quick & easy weeknight meal ideas, kid-friendly recipes and a few sweet treats. My roots are from the Mediterranean and many of my recipes incorporate those flavors! Read More…